Historic Winter Storm Blankets the South, Targets Midwest and Northeast

Have you heard? It’s going to snow. A lot. In fact, the snowflakes have — finally — begun to fall. After a week of ever-escalating forecasts, a massive, historic winter storm is now hammering the South, bringing with it a dangerous combination of destructive ice and heavy snow. The expansive weather system was spreading across the Southern Plains Saturday afternoon and was forecast to pass through 34 states into Monday, dumping tons of snow in the Midwest and Northeast before blowing out to sea.New York City and its surrounding areas face snow accumulation between 10 and 14 inches, with counties farther north and west seeing higher snowfall, according to the National Weather Service. Wind chill temperatures are expected to drop to 10 below zero.By Saturday afternoon, more than 12,000 scheduled weekend flights across the United States had been canceled.The storm will intensify in the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys, after it is done dumping precipitation across the Plains and South. The NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center has warned that “catastrophic” ice accumulations in the South could lead to widespread power outages and tree damage. Did we mention it’s all going to get worse as an Arctic front locks down over much of America? “What really makes this storm unique is, just following this storm, it’s just going to get so cold,” Allison Santorelli, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told the Associated Press. “The snow and the ice will be very, very slow to melt and won’t be going away anytime soon, and that’s going to hinder any recovery efforts.”The most significant warning for destructive ice covers parts of 12 states, including major cities such as Shreveport, Nashville, Charlotte, and Richmond. High winds are expected to worsen the situation by stressing trees and power lines already weighed down by ice.Simultaneously, a broad swath of the country from the Texas Panhandle to the Northeast is likely to see at least 6 inches of snow, with many areas predicted to receive a foot or more.Travel conditions are expected to remain dangerous for days. Roads in the heavy snow zones may become impassable before Monday, and significant flight delays and cancellations are likely to continue at major East Coast hubs from Sunday into Monday and beyond.President Trump posted a message on social media saying he’s on the case. “I have been briefed on the Record Cold Wave and Historic Winter Storm that will be hitting much of the United States this weekend. The Trump Administration is coordinating with State and Local Officials. FEMA is fully prepared to respond. Stay Safe and Stay Warm! President DJT,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.Nine states have already asked the federal government for emergency declarations, according to a FEMA briefing document released Saturday. Mr. Trump on Friday approved such declarations, which can free up federal aid money, for South Carolina and Virginia, with requests from Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia still pending.

Historic Winter Storm Blankets the South, Targets Midwest and Northeast

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